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distortions.net

I'm Ryan M. Tech geek. Avgeek. California Native plant gardener. All photos on this blog, unless stated otherwise, are mine. Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and X100V. Views are my own.

Birds

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    December 27, 2025: this American Bushtit was perched for an unusually long time, perhaps soaking in the sun’s morning energy like humans do coffee or tea

    #AmericanBushtit #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCAn American Bushtit sits perched on a narrow branch. It is looking with beady black eyes slightly up and to the right, fully illuminated by the sun. Its face has brown and the rest of its orb-like body is a light tan. Its tail feathers stick out straight behind it.

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    Today most people will be back at my work. So to celebrate the return of needless office distractions, enjoy a Song Sparrow, if you can find it #SongSparrow #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA brown and tan Song Sparrow, borb shaped, is hanging out on a horizontal reed within a mass vertical brown and green reeds. It is looking towards the camera, helping to illuminate the tan behind its eyes.

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    The backyard was crowded with hummingbirds enjoying our planted native shrubs, so what the heck. Here’s some photos taken in very poor lighting conditions (cloudy, mid-morning, and winter) #Hummingbirds #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

    A hummingbird is perched in a California rose, showing a red stripe on its throat. It's otherwise gray and brown. There's a blurry branch obscuring the lower part of the bird.A hummingbird is perched on an elderberry branch that has fresh grown leaves. The little bird has an olive head and a dirty-yellow to gray chest and belly. It is looking to the right and the background is blurred out.A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the left, with one eye towards the photographer. It is in a ceanothus bush so there are lots of leaves in the way, but the hummingbird can be seen through a hole in the foliage. It has clear plummage, with a bit of red on its head and greens on its tucked-in wings. Its chest is a light gray.A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the right. It might have a membrane covering its eye? It is another bird with clear sharp individual feathers that are olive green in the back to medium gray to the front. Its long thin beak is pointing straight to the right. The background has blurred ceanothus leaves and branches along with gray skies.

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    Last weekend, I caught a Northern Harrier in flight. Though the view finder, I only knew it was some kind of raptor #NorthernHarrier #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

    A oblique front view of the Northern Harrier, with its head tilted so one eye is looking at the ground, and the other is angled upward. It is in midflight with both wings visible and outstretched. Its face and upper body is lit by sun against a blue sky. A Northern Harrier, in profile view, with only one outstretched wing visible. It has a white ring of feathers around its mostly brown and tan neck. It is looking straight and there's a glint in its eye.

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    After all that happened in 2025, I’m side-eyeing 2026 like this Towhee side-eyed the space above #HappyNewYear

    #CaliforniaTowhee #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

    A sun-illuminated brown California Towhee is in a grassy area, taking up the center third of the photo, with its head cocked and eye pointing up to the sky, as if something caught its eye and it needed a better look.

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    A raven. #Raven #BirdPhotography #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA photo of a raven from the front, as its perched on the tip of a bare branch. Its stark black feathers stand out agaist a blue sky. Its beak is slightly open, almost as if it's saying something. There's a glint in its left eye.

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    Classic Black Phoebe! They’re always on the tip of objects close to the ground, searching for its next meal. This one is a crossing guard for a very brief moment. #BlackPhoebe #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCA black phoebe is perched atop a stop sign. Only the rear the stop sign can be seen, with the sun lighting up its back, highlighting the wood pole and straps keeping the sign attached. The black phoebe is looking to the right, its back lit up, but the rest of its dark body in silohette. The sky is cloudy.

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    A Cooper’s Hawk appears to acknowledge my presence in its hunting grounds
    #CoopersHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #CropToZoom #Fujfifilm #SOoC

    A Coopers Hawk, atop a leafless tree branch under overcast skies, appears to look right at the camera. The hawk has a brown back with a fluffy white chest adorned with brown raindrop shapes.

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    Snow Geese have swarmed the Sacramento Valley. Some of the darker geese in the second photo are White-fronted or Canadian #SnowGeese #Geese #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

    Six Snow Geese with their white bodies and black wing tips soar above in clear blue skies. The sun highlights their right breast, neck, and head.Far off in the distance, dozens of geese, Snow Geese and White Fronteds (maybe some canadian), take up the photo frame as they fly in a foggy sky.

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    From a few weekends ago: this bird was exceedingly far from me and so was mysterious to me until I downloaded its photo from the camera. I was VERY surprised to find a Belted Kingfisher. Yeah, you’ll need to tap into the photo to see it well... #BeltedKingfisher #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #CropToZoom #Fujifilm #SOoCA Belted Kingfisher, with its cool blue-gray mohawk & cape, along with white cheaks, neck, and chest, studies the distance to its right, while perched on a utility line. Behind it are various blurred trees and some powerlines.

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    A Say’s Phoebe at Black Butte Reservoir, California

    #SaysPhoebe #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #CropToZoom #SOoCA flat headed Say's Phoebe bird, looking to the right, is colored brown all over with an orange belly, is perched on an oak branch, looking over a bough of oak leaves. The bird has a slight glint in its eyes and its front is sunlit. The background is bokeh of dried grass.

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    We went out to Black Butte Reservoir (west of Chico, CA) today and I finally photographed a Rock Wren! #RockWren #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #SOoC

    A long-beaked Rock Wren is posing, chest toward the camera, on some old dead wood, surrounded by twigs. It has a black spotted face and neck with some linear traces of black on its chest. It has a black stripe going from its eye to the back of its head. Its beak is long and narrow.

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    Got a few bird photos from the backyard today. A Yellow Rumped Warbler and a White-Crowned Sparrow. We’ve been invaded by the Yellow-Rumped Warblers and it’s amazing to see them enjoy our plentiful insects and, occasionally, dried elderberries. These are cropped.  #YellowRumpedWarbler #WhiteCrownedSparrow #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

    A Yellow-Rumped Warbler takes a drink from a bird bath. It is dipping down toward the water, and its beak is just reflected in the water. Its white wingbars are visible but it only has a splash of yellow.A White Crowned Sparrow is standing between two branches of a Ceanothus bush. Its looking to the left. It is showing off signature black head with bright white stripes.

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    Here are some random through-the-glass-slider photos of a few of the migratory songbirds finding food-a-plenty in our backyard: Yellow-Rumped Warbler & Lesser Gold Finch #YellowRumpedWarbler #LesserGoldfinch #Birds #Yarden

    Three Yellow Rumped Warblers forage among brown asparagus fronds. Their yellow bellies are highlighted by the morning sunlight

    A Lesser Goldfinch, back to camera & head turned in profile view, is perched in sweet basil foliage, it feasting on dried seeds. It has a yellow face, a black helmet, and white on black chevrons on its black tail.

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    Here is a contented White Crown Sparrow gorging on seeds from a plant I haven’t identified. #WhiteCrownSparrow #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

    A close up of a White Crown sparrow that is facing left, getting ready to tuck into some seeds with tufted tops like a dandelion but much denser, almost like cotton. Its head is prominently stripped white above its eye with a black top of the head,

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    There are two Ravens at the Point Reyes Lighthouse. And apparently they’re celebrities among the park staff (who are very nice & full of knowledge!). I hope all furloughed National Park staff are okay. These photos are from just before the US Government shutdown. #Ravens #Birds #BirdPhotography #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

    Two Ravens on a linear concrete structure that runs along Point Reyes Conglomerate. The Raven on the left has their feathers puffed out. Both are looking to the left. The blue sky peaks out a bit above the outcropping.A Raven walks along an inclined roof, with some shiny black feathers being lifted by wind. Its beak is just open and it is looking to the left. The background and the roof are completely blurred out.

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    Here’s a proud scrub jay with a tasty treat in its beak #WesternScrubJay #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

    A Western Scrubjay, with a white underbelly, and a blue upper body with a gray cape, is perched on the top of a weathered wooden post. It has some sort of insect in its beak, maybe a wasp or a hornet. It is in full profile view, though its face is shaded out.

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    The White Crowns are back! #WhiteCrown #Birds

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    #GreatBlueHeron #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

    A Great Blue Heron, wings spread out, appears to be aggressively stumbling through water, making a small splash with its right foot. It looks very awkward.

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    A Nuttal’s woodpecker visited our front yard Toyon yesterday! #Yarden #NuttalsWoodpecker #Birds

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